The list also includes Presidents of the Government Council of French Territory of the Afars and the Issas, which acted as heads of government of the area of present-day Djibouti between 1967 and 1977, before the proclamation of independence.

1.
Djibouti
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Djibouti, officially the Republic of Djibouti, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is bordered by Eritrea in the north, Ethiopia in the west and south, the remainder of the border is formed by the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden at the east. Djibouti occupies an area of just 23,200 km2. In antiquity, the territory was part of the Land of Punt and then the Sabean, nearby Zeila was the seat of the medieval Adal and Ifat Sultanates. It was subsequently renamed to the French Territory of the Afars, a decade later, the Djiboutian people voted for independence. This officially marked the establishment of the Republic of Djibouti, named after its capital city, Djibouti joined the United Nations the same year, on 20 September 1977. In the early 1990s, tensions over government representation led to armed conflict, Djibouti is a multi-ethnic nation with a population of over 846,687 inhabitants. Arabic and French are the two official languages. About 94% of residents adhere to Islam, a religion that has been predominant in the region for more than 1,000 years, the Somali Issa and Afar make up the two largest ethnic groups. Both speak Afroasiatic languages, which serve as recognized national languages, Djibouti is strategically located near some of the worlds busiest shipping lanes, controlling access to the Red Sea and Indian Ocean. It serves as a key refueling and transshipment center, and is the principal port for imports from. A burgeoning commercial hub, the nation is the site of various military bases. The Intergovernmental Authority on Development regional body also has its headquarters in Djibouti City, the Djibouti area has been inhabited since at least the Neolithic. According to linguists, the first Afroasiatic-speaking populations arrived in the region during this period from the familys proposed urheimat in the Nile Valley, other scholars propose that the Afroasiatic family developed in situ in the Horn, with its speakers subsequently dispersing from there. Pottery predating the mid-2nd millennium has been found at Asa Koma, the sites ware is characterized by punctate and incision geometric designs, which bear a similarity to the Sabir culture phase 1 ceramics from Malayba in Southern Arabia. Long-horned humpless cattle bones have likewise been discovered at Asa Koma, rock art of what appear to be antelopes and a giraffe are also found at Dorra and Balho. Handoga, dated to the fourth millennium BP, has in turn yielded obsidian microliths, additionally, between Djibouti City and Loyada are a number of anthropomorphic and phallic stelae. The structures are associated with graves of rectangular shape that are flanked by vertical slabs, the Djibouti-Loyada stelae are of uncertain age, and some of them are adorned with a T-shaped symbol

2.
Politics of Djibouti
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Politics of Djibouti takes place in a framework of a semi-presidential republic, whereby the executive power is exercised by the government. Legislative power is vested in both the government and parliament, the party system and parliament are dominated by the conservative Peoples Rally for Progress. In April 2010, a new constitution was approved. The president serves as the head of state, and is elected for single five-year terms. Government is headed by the minister, who is appointed by the president. There is also a 65-member chamber of deputies, where representatives are elected for terms of five years. Administratively, the country is divided into five regions and one city, Djibouti is also part of various international organizations, including the United Nations and Arab League. In 1958, on the eve of neighboring Somalias independence in 1960, the referendum turned out in favour of a continued association with France, partly due to a combined yes vote by the sizable Afar ethnic group and resident Europeans. There was also widespread vote rigging, with the French expelling thousands of Somalis before the referendum reached the polls. The majority of those who had voted no were Somalis who were strongly in favour of joining a united Somalia as had proposed by Mahmoud Harbi. Harbi was killed in a crash two years later. In 1967, a plebiscite was held to determine the fate of the territory. Initial results supported a continued but looser relationship with France, however, the referendum was again marred by reports of vote rigging on the part of the French authorities. Shortly after the referendum was held, the former Côte française des Somalis was renamed to Territoire français des Afars et des Issas, in 1977, a third referendum took place. A landslide 98. 8% of the electorate supported disengagement from France, hassan Gouled Aptidon, a Somali politician who had campaigned for a yes vote in the referendum of 1958, eventually wound up as the nations first president. He was re-elected, unopposed, to a second 6-year term in April 1987, the electorate approved the current constitution in September 1992. Many laws and decrees from before independence remain in effect, in early 1992, the government decided to permit multiple party politics and agreed to the registration of four political parties. By the time of the assembly elections in December 1992

3.
Head of government
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The term head of government is often differentiated from the term head of state, as they may be separate positions, individuals, and/or roles depending on the country. In parliamentary systems, including constitutional monarchies, the head of government is the de facto leader of the government. For example, in the United Kingdom, the prime minister advises the Queen on the appointment of the cabinet, advice she is required to accept. On the other hand, the Queens long service as the head of state enables her to provide the prime minister with information and insight into many matters to better run the government. However, because the United Kingdom is a monarchy, the Prime Minister uses his or her own discretion regarding whether or not to follow the Queens advice. The Queen also is entitled to appoint a new Prime Minister, in presidential republics or in absolute monarchies, the head of state is also usually the head of government. The relationship between that leader and the government, however, can vary greatly, ranging from separation of powers to autocracy, in semi-presidential systems, the head of government may answer to both the head of state and the legislature, with the specifics provided by each countrys constitution. A modern example is the present French government, which originated as the French Fifth Republic in 1958, in France, the president, the head of state, appoints the prime minister, who is the head of government. In some cases, the head of state may represent one political party, in this case, known as cohabitation, the prime minister, along with the cabinet, controls domestic policy, with the presidents influence is largely restricted to foreign affairs. In directorial systems, the executive responsibilities of the head of government are spread among a group of people, a prominent example is the Swiss Federal Council, where each member of the council heads a department and also votes on proposals relating to all departments. A common title for many heads of government is prime minister, various constitutions use different titles, and even the same title can have various multiple meanings, depending on the constitutional order and political system of the state in question. In addition to prime minister, titles used for the democratic model, some of these titles relate to governments below the national level. Have been used by various Empires, Kingdoms and Princely States of India as a title for the Prime Minister, maltese, In Malta, the head of government is Prim Ministru. In this case, the prime minister serves at the pleasure of the monarch, some such titles are diwan, mahamantri, pradhan, wasir or vizier. However, just because the head of state is the de jure dominant position does not mean that he/she will not always be the de facto political leader, in some cases, the head of state is a figurehead whilst the head of the government leads the ruling party. In some cases a head of government may even pass on the title in hereditary fashion, the ability to vote down legislative proposals of the government. Control over or ability to vote down fiscal measures and the budget, all of these requirements directly impact the Head of governments role. Many parliamentary systems require ministers to serve in parliament, while others ban ministers from sitting in parliament, heads of government are typically removed from power in a parliamentary system by Resignation, following, Defeat in a general election

4.
Prime minister
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A prime minister is the most senior minister of cabinet in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. In many systems, the prime minister selects and may dismiss members of the cabinet. In most systems, the minister is the presiding member. In parliamentary systems fashioned after the Westminster system, the minister is the presiding and actual head of government. In such systems, the head of state or the head of states official representative usually holds a ceremonial position. The prime minister is often, but not always, a member of the Legislature or the Lower House thereof and is expected with other ministers to ensure the passage of bills through the legislature. In some monarchies the monarch may also exercise powers that are constitutionally vested in the crown. The first actual usage of the prime minister or Premier Ministre was used by Cardinal Richelieu when in 1625 he was named to head the royal council as prime minister of France. Louis XIV and his descendants generally attempted to avoid giving this title to their chief ministers, the term prime minister in the sense that we know it originated in the 18th century in the United Kingdom when members of parliament disparagingly used the title in reference to Sir Robert Walpole. Over time, however, the title became honorific and remains so in the 21st century, the monarchs of England and the United Kingdom had ministers in whom they placed special trust and who were regarded as the head of the government. Examples were Thomas Cromwell under Henry VIII, William Cecil, Lord Burghley under Elizabeth I, Clarendon under Charles II and these ministers held a variety of formal posts, but were commonly known as the minister, the chief minister, the first minister and finally the prime minister. The power of ministers depended entirely on the personal favour of the monarch. Although managing the parliament was among the skills of holding high office. Although there was a cabinet, it was appointed entirely by the monarch, when the monarch grew tired of a first minister, he or she could be dismissed, or worse, Cromwell was executed and Clarendon driven into exile when they lost favour. Kings sometimes divided power equally between two or more ministers to prevent one minister from becoming too powerful, late in Annes reign, for example, the Tory ministers Harley and St John shared power. The monarch could no longer any law or impose any tax without its permission. It is at point that a modern style of prime minister begins to emerge. A tipping point in the evolution of the prime ministership came with the death of Anne in 1714, George spoke no English, spent much of his time at his home in Hanover, and had neither knowledge of, nor interest in, the details of English government

5.
Human rights in Djibouti
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The issue of human rights in Djibouti, a small country situated within the Horn of Africa, is a matter of concern for several human rights organizations. In its 2011 Freedom in the World report, Freedom House ranked Djibouti as Not Free, the nation most recently saw martial violence in 2008, in the form of border clashes with neighbouring Eritrea. Djibouti gained independence from France in 1977, after a 98. 8% of the electorate voted in favour of disengagement in a referendum, hassan Gouled Aptidon became president and his political party, the Peoples Rally for Progress, was declared the sole legal party in 1981. It has remained in ever since, under Aptidon until 1999. The following is a chart of Djiboutis ratings since 1977 in the Freedom in the World reports, a rating of 1 is free,7, not free.1 Claims of political detentions and torture began almost immediately after independence. On 15 December 1977, seventeen supporters of the opposition Mouvement populaire de libération were arrested and tortured, in 1978, fifteen students, visiting from their studies abroad in Paris, were sentenced to months in jail and reportedly tortured for articles written by their student union in France. After an armed attack in 1979 in Randa, sixty Afars were detained and it was claimed that many were arrested solely for their membership of the Mouvement populaire de libération. After a supposed attempt on the Director of Security in June 1979, nine political opponents. One of these -- Mohamed Houmed Mohamed -- had previously delivered a speech denouncing the governments use of torture. In August 1981 the Parti populaire Djiboutien sought legal recognition as a political party, in early September they released their first bulletin, and on 7 September all thirteen members of the Executive Committee were arrested, including six members of parliament. Included in the detainees was Mohamed Houmed Mohamed, some of these members fled the country after release, but were again detained and tortured upon their return from exile. Aptidon announced his retirement in February 1999 and the Peoples Rally for Progress chose Ismaïl Omar Guelleh as their presidential candidate and he handily won the April elections, with almost three quarters of the vote, defeating his only presidential rival, the independent Moussa Ahmed Idriss. Idriss was arrested the following September for threatening the morale of the armed forces, thus, in the 2003 National Assembly elections, the coalition took all 65 seats with only 62% of the vote. Opposition parties boycotted both the 2005 and 2008 elections, in 2008, President Guellah issued a decree dissolving the opposition Movement for Democratic Renewal and Development party. In April 2010, the constitution was amended, lifting the two-term limit, in June 2010, Djiboutis richest citizen and former friend of the president, Abdourahman Boreh, was convincted in absentia for terrorism. He lacked a defence lawyer and had been intending a presidential run for 2011, both the main newspaper and broadcaster are controlled by the government. On 2 July 2009, Ahmed Darar Robleh was arrested and later sentenced to six months in prison for writing poetry criticising the president. In February 2011 the government arrested dozens of opponents, including six people who provide reporting to the European radio station

6.
Djiboutian parliamentary election, 2003
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The 2003 Djiboutian parliamentary election took place in Djibouti on 10 January 2003 to elect the National Assembly of Djibouti. The ruling coalition of President Ismail Omar Guelleh won all 65 seats in the election defeating an opposition coalition, after being a one-party state from 1977 to 1992, limited opposition was allowed in the last two parliamentary elections. The previous parliamentary election in 1997 however still saw supporters of President Guelleh win all of the seats in Parliament, the situation was changed for the 2003 election in that a law under which the number of political parties was restricted to four expired and full multi-party democracy was allowed. For parliamentary elections Djibouti is divided up into five constituencies, with each constituency having varying number of seats, in each constituency the party or coalition which won the highest vote received all of the seats from that constituency. The election was contested between two coalitions and they were opposed in the election by an opposition coalition called the Union for a Democratic Change in Government and led by a former Prime Minister Ahmed Dini Ahmed. This coalition comprised the Republican Alliance for Democracy, Movement for Democratic Renewal and Development, Djibouti Party for Development, five of the parties in these coalitions were new, having been formed since the law restricting the number of political parties had expired. The opposition alliance was hurt by the decision of Aden Robleh Awaleh, the Union for the Presidential Majority called for voters to support them so they could continue to bring economic development to Djibouti and to reduce poverty and unemployment. Meanwhile, the opposition criticised the record, accusing it of numerous failures. The results saw the Union for the Presidential Majority win all of the seats in the Djibouti parliament after topping the vote in all five constituencies, in total they won 62. 7% as against 37. 3% for the opposition coalition. The opposition came closest to winning seats in the capital Djibouti city where they won just short of 45% of the vote, the election saw 7 women elected to parliament for the first time. International election monitors praised the election saying that the electoral operations have been free from irregularities. However the opposition denounced the results saying that they were fraudulent, the opposition leader Dini said he would take their case to the constitutional court, but called on his supporters to not launch street protests

7.
Djiboutian passport
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The Djiboutian passport is issued to citizens of Djibouti for international travel. The 31-page document is valid for five years, the passport includes the full name, photograph, signature and date of birth of the holder. Its design features the Djibouti coat of arms in the middle of the front, according to the 2012 Visa Restricitions Index, citizens of Djibouti using the passport can travel visa-free to 37 other countries. Visa requirements for Djiboutian citizens List of passports